Several reporters noted that although Clinton sent Kaine a congratulatory email right after the VP debate wrapped up, she didn't speak to Kaine until a Wednesday morning phone call. One reporter described that call as a "love fest."

That's still not quite as strong a reaction as the last Democratic VP, Joe Biden, got after his 2012 debate performance. President Obama wasted no time praising Biden's performance to the press.

Kaine didn't fare nearly as well as Biden; he was criticized for aggressively interrupting Mike Pence and reciting over-prepared lines. Pence's relatively calm and focused performance — combined with his refusal to grapple with Donald Trump's many controversies — had some debate watchers praising Pence as laying solid groundwork for a 2020 presidential run.

But the circumstances were different in 2012. Then, Biden had to recover Obama's campaign from the president's lackluster first debate performance.